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The Savages (2007) DVD Review
The Savages (2007) DVD Credits:
The Savages (2007) Directed by:
Tamara Jenkins
The Savages (2007) Written by:
Tamara Jenkins
The Savages (2007) Cast:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, Philip Bosco
The Savages (2007) Released by:
This Is That
Region:
1
The Savages (2007) DVD Release Date:
21st April 2008
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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The Savages (2007) Synopsis:

An irreverent, hilarious and heartbreaking story revolving around a modern American family, "The Savages" portrays an all-too-common dilemma: after drifting apart emotionally and geographically over the years, two siblings Wendy (Laura Linney) and Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) must band together to care for an elderly parent (Philip Bosco).

The Savages (2007) DVD Review:

The Savages is the story of a brother and sister pair forced to deal with their aging father’s care, despite his lackluster childcare when they were young. The duo have their father, Lenny (Phillip Bosco, Deconstructing Harry, My Best Friend’s Wedding), thrust upon them after the woman that he had been living with suddenly passes away and her children kicked Lenny out of the house.

Wendy (Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and Jon (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War) must now trek their father back cross-country and place him into a local senior care facility. Along with traversing the risky and confusing world of senior care, Jon and Wendy must also face their own demons in their personal lives both romantically and professionally. Neither sibling has found much success in either of those departments, Wendy is desperately trying to hold onto her dreams of writing plays while maintaining a relationship with a married man, while Jon is letting his girlfriend of three years return to Poland because her travel visa was up.

However, as Jon and Wendy begin to go through this series of problems which are much larger than the day to day ones that have bogged them down in the past, they begin to realize what is truly important.

The Savages is above all an actor’s film. While the plot is a little thin in places the quality of the performances from both of the film’s main characters far exceeds any loss. It is a film about moments in these character’s lives as they deal with the heartache of losing a family member and with their own failures. These moments are handled beautifully, artistically and with a subtlety rarely seen in modern filmmaking.

Phillip Seymor Hoffman has proven himself to be one of the most talented contemporary actors of our time, with mind-blowing performances in films like 25th Hour, The Talented Mr. Ripley and his Academy Award Winning performance in Capote. He brings that talent to the table with The Savages. His performance as Jon Savage once again reveals his true talent. Hoffman’s talent and dedication have not gone unnoticed in the industry. The Savages marks his third film to be released onto DVD in the month of April alone; the others include Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead and Charlie Wilson’s War.

The same can be said about Laura Linney in The Savages. Much like Hoffman, Linney is one of the most talented actors of late. Linney consistently give outstanding performances in some of the most noteworthy films to be released in the last several years, including Mystic River, Love, Actually and Kinsey, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Savages is presented in Widescreen with a 5.1 stereo surround soundtrack. Special features include a featurette with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, director Tamara Jenkins and Phillip Bosco discussing what The Savages meant to the actors, as well as deleted or extended scenes.

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The Savages (2007) DVD review written by: Andrew Mattson

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